Melissa Cliver

Melissa Cliver serves as a product designer for the Office of Innovation’s Resident Experience initiative. She is currently focusing on streamlining safety net services for the most vulnerable.

Melissa is inspired by the invitation to tame the complexity of products and services in government. She is comfortable balancing the ambiguity and excitement that accompanies early stage product design and prioritizes co-creation with individuals who will use the services and products developed. Before joining the New Jersey Office of Innovation, Melissa worked as a consultant shaping the creation of new products and services for corporations, foundations, and community-based organizations. Prior to that, Melissa worked as a documentary filmmaker, artist, and entrepreneur. Over the course of her career she has consistently worked to blend creative thinking with field data and business objectives to maximize impact for a set of stakeholders within a system.

Melissa earned a Master of Fine Art from Rutgers University and Masters in Design from Carnegie Mellon University. Melissa spends her spare time contributing to efforts supporting habitat restoration, remodeling her cabin, and camping with her partner and family.